Analysing the offshore wind market, ports and supply chain

The challenge: understanding offshore wind in the North Sea Basin

In December 2022, the Norwegian Government launched a national initiative for increasing exports from its offshore wind industry. As part of that initiative, Innovation Norway has undertaken a comprehensive North Sea Basin Analysis (NSBA).

This North Sea Basin Analysis provides a high-level overview of the offshore wind market, outlining technical requirements, investment timing, workforce development, and potential collaborations. It aims to help port owners identify optimal harbour locations and infrastructure needs. Additionally, it offers guidance to the Norwegian ship industry on vessel fleet requirements for offshore wind and the global supply of these vessels.

Innovation Norway wanted to award the contract for this project to an organisation that fully understood its objectives, scope, and deliverables. It chose Haskoning for our deep expertise and focus on stakeholder engagement at every stage.

We also had prior experience after recently conducting a report for the EU’s North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) into port infrastructure needs for offshore wind energy.

The solution: a four-stage approach to gather meaningful insight

To ensure all relevant information was considered, our expert team assessed the offshore wind market, manufacturing locations, vessel developments, and port locations in the North Sea Basin and the ports that service it. We also accounted for the wider global supply chain and market dynamics.

We took a four-stage approach to this project:

1. Project kick off: We made sure expectations for the project were aligned, gathered existing data, and undertook a gap analysis to identify the information needed to fill the report’s scope.
2. Information collection: We gathered the data necessary for comprehensive analysis. This involved interviewing stakeholders, manufacturers, and developers to understand developments in the offshore wind supply chain, existing and planned ports, and vessel requirements.
3. Assessment of opportunities: We identified the Norwegian maritime industry’s opportunities in the offshore wind sector with an investigation into potential port locations and stakeholder workshop where we could present our findings and gain insight.
4. Final database and report creation: We collated all the data together to create a comprehensive database and drafted a report about the future position of ports and shipyards in Norway.

The result: valuable analysis to accelerate the energy transition

The data analysis will give the Norwegian offshore wind and maritime industries guidance on the types, sizes, and number of vessels needed for constructing all planned offshore wind farms in the region.

What’s more, it will support harbour owners to identify optimal port locations in Norway, establish design criteria for manufacturing and harbour facilities, and determine when these harbours should be operational.

The planned next phase of the project involves creating a digital tool to deliver quick and easy access to information and ensure it’s kept up to date. We aim to have continued involvement as this vital project progresses – and help the region accelerate the transition to renewable energy.